Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
spate - 4 dictionary results

spate

  [speyt] ,
Use spate in a Sentence
–noun
1. a sudden, almost overwhelming, outpouring: a spate of angry words.
2. British.
a. a flood or inundation.
b. a river flooding its banks.
c. a sudden or heavy rainstorm.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME (north) < ?
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To spate
spate   (spāt)   
n.  
  1. A sudden flood, rush, or outpouring: "It issues a spate of words from the loudspeakers and the politicians" (Virginia Woolf).
  2. Chiefly British
    1. A flash flood.
    2. A freshet resulting from a downpour of rain or melting of snow.
    3. A sudden heavy fall of rain.

[Middle English.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Spate

Spate\, n. [Of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. speid.] A river flood; an overflow or inundation. --Burns.

Gareth in a showerful spring Stared at the spate. --Tennyson.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : spate
Spanish: espalda,
German: der Rücken,
Japanese: 背中
More Translations »

spate 
c.1425, originally Scottish and northern Eng., "a sudden flood, especially one caused by heavy rains or a snowmelt," of unknown origin. Perhaps from O.Fr. espoit "flood," from Du. spuiten "to flow, spout;" related to spout. Fig. sense of "unusual quantity" is attested from c.1614.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see spate on Thesaurus | Reference